Friday, February 15, 2008

(copied with permission from pinoybiz.blogspot.com)A response to Alex Magno's column, where he asked "Can there be a Filipino Obama rising to the challenge of 2010?" (Mr. Magno's column appears below.)

Mr. Magno, there is no such thing as a Filipino Obama but there is a Filipino named Gordon. More than the First Black American President, I think it is more interesting to contemplate having the First White Philippine President.

Richard J. Gordon, Senator and Philippine National Red Cross Chairman. A man who has been a leader all of his life whether he had a position in government or none and a man who has served his countrymen, even to the point of risking his own life -- not once, but many times over the course of 40 years -- all for the cause of alleviating human suffering.

While all the other aspirants for the Presidency in 2010 are promising, Gordon is the only one with the longest track record of success as an Executive. While others are selling dreams, people whose lives he has touched are living the reality of a better life... In Olongapo, in Subic, in all the tourist destinations all over the country promoted through Wowphilippines, in disaster areas rehabilitated through the efforts of the Philippine National Red Cross, and soon, when the Automated Elections system is finally online in 2010, all over the country as they finally do away with the antiquated mano mano system of recording and tallying votes.

You want to talk about inspiring leadership?

Anybody can be inspiring during good times when most people are happy and content. With a very publicized speech, a little advertisement here, a few well placed articles in a well read newspaper or magazine, and a couple of guest appearances with some other popular masa personality 'et voila!' even the do nothing political john doe can become an inspiring brand.Try being an inspiring leader when the streets are a mess, crime is everywhere, and most people have lost belief in themselves. That was Olongapo in 1980. That was the time when Gordon ran for Mayor. That was the time when things began turning around for the sin city just outside of Subic. The first color coded traffic scheme, the first integrated garbage collection system, community based anti-crime campaigns, legalization of scavenging -- the pre-cursor to recycling, and much more. In less than six years, the transformation was made from sin city to model city. It was awarded the UNESCO Cities for Peace representing Asia and the Pacific in 1997 and the Konrad Adenauer Local Medal of Excellence in 1999. The Asian Development Bank and World Bank recognized its successful urban redevelopment and city development strategy after the US Base turnover.

Sure, you can say that that was just Olongapo City. Okay, then, how about Subic? That's an easy transformation job too, or was it?

The Americans left the Subic Naval base practically bare and it happened hardly a year after Pinatubo buried most of Central Luzon -- including Olongapo -- in ash. Think about just how inspirational you have to be as a leader when you are trying to get your people, just barely recovering from the biggest natural disaster in Philippine history, to volunteer to maintain the base and its facilities for nothing but the promise of maybe someday attracting investors and tourists. (The idea was so far fetched at the time that you might as well have been talking about promoting tourism in Basilan and Sulu at the outbreak of full scale military operations.)You know what, despite the naysayers, Gordon made Subic into a premiere tourist and investment destination. Some 40,000 jobs were lost when the Americans left, 80,000 new and higher paying jobs were created when Gordon tookover Subic. Tens of millions of pesos of income were lost when US servicemen stopped coming, but billions of dollars flowed when Gordon started promoted Subic to the world.

He did such a good job at Subic that the next President after Ramos kicked him out with administrative order number 1 -- all because Gordon picked up a cigarette but from the street he swept thousands of times himself.

Still easy? Okay, how about promoting Philippine tourism at a time when there were coup attempts, terrorist threats, negative travel advisories weekly, a scant tourism promotion budget, a lazy Tourism bureaucracy, and whatever else.

A year into his job, Gordon reversed the shrinking tourist arrivals and by 2004, the country played host to two million tourists a year. The success continues as the country continues to draw 3 million tourists and if the tourism bill Gordon is working on gets passed into law, that figure might double or triple in no time at all.

He's no superman, that is for sure. In fact, the truth is, he is hard of hearing. He can't hear the word IMPOSSIBLE. He can't hear the phrase IT CAN'T BE DONE. He just goes ahead and does it.

There is one more flaw that Gordon has: He is white.

It is true that his father was an American.

James L. Gordon was so much of an American that when time came for him to chose between retaining his American citizenship and becoming a Filipino, he did what a number of Filipinos would not do if given a choice: He CHOSE to be a FILIPINO.

He was so much of an American that he spent the best years of his life serving his countrymen of choice, Filipinos, as mayor.

He was shot dead by an assassin just when he was about to succeed in having Congress grant Cityhood to Olongapo. As tens of thousands marched in his funeral procession, Senator Jose W. Diokno paid tribute to him with these words: "He was born to an American father, chose to be a Filipino, raised his children as Filipinos, served his country as a Filipino, and died a Filipino hero"

Yes, Richard Gordon is white but the only thing American about him is his work ethic and his straightforwardness.

So, going back to where I started. There is no Filipino Obama, but try this parallelism on for size: How about electing the first WHITE Filipino President?

---ObamaFIRST PERSON By Alex MagnoTuesday, February 12, 2008Barack Obama had the odds stacked against him all his life. He said so himself as he celebrated his sweep of four state primaries last weekend, bringing him in dead heat with his rival for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton.

Born to a Kenyan father and a white American woman, he was abandoned by his father when he was two. His teenage mother and his grandparents raised him in humble circumstances. He spent a few years of his youth in Indonesia and served poor communities as an activist in his early adult years.

He served as state Senator before winning a seat at the US Senate three years ago. Charismatic and articulate, Obama sought his party’s presidential nomination even as everybody considered the Democratic Party apparatus firmly under the stranglehold of the Clinton couple.

Until the onset of the primaries season, Obama was considered an outside runner, a novelty at best. There was no way, everyone thought that an African-American, one with few friends in the nation’s capital, would have very poor chances in this game.

But when the primaries began to be held, Obama turned in more than a respectable performance. He pulled off a couple of upsets in the early races, gradually built momentum on his side and, last weekend, swept the four states that were contested.

The Democratic Party base is now divided right down the middle. Hillary Clinton is popular among lower-class women voters, Hispanics and those on the lower end of educational achievement. Obama attracts African-Americans, the college-educated and, overwhelmingly, the young voters.

In an unprecedented way, the primaries in the US has generated worldwide interest mainly because the probable Democratic nominee will either be a woman or a black man. The US presidency has, heretofore, been a post for white males.

Over and above considerations of race and gender, the Obama campaign appears to have animated a movement that now seems highly inspired and determined to challenge the insiders in the party as well as existing paradigms of what politicians should do or say.

Obama appears to have detected a strong undercurrent in American society. It is an undercurrent of discontent with politics-as-usual reflected in rising political apathy. Electoral participation among young voters has been declining. Significant minority groups have not been participating at all in the democratic exercise.

He has tapped into this undercurrent and tapped it well. The undercurrent itself now appears to be much more powerful than anyone calculated. Much more powerful, in fact, than maybe Obama himself ever imagined.

In the Democratic Party fund-raising dinner last Saturday, people turned up as early as dawn to ensure seats for themselves so that they can listen to Obama. Across the US, an army of young volunteers has been making the phone calls and knocking on doors to campaign for Obama.This campaign is unusual, to say the least. It is no ordinary contest for one party’s presidential nomination. It is a movement of the discontented attracted to the promise of change. More than that, it is an open rebellion against the entrenched political aristocracy in Washington DC.It is not just the unpopularity of George W. Bush that is driving this phenomenon. It is the unpopularity of the political establishment no less that is driving this rebellion.

The Other America, the one that shunned the political process before, has now barged into that process, responding to Obama’s clarion call for a sweeping change of how America has been run and how it has been governed.

What started out as a seemingly quixotic campaign has now become an intensely passionate political force. It is a force that will, at the very least, change the way the Democratic party deals with its constituencies. At its very best, it will change the way America chooses its leaders.This phenomenon is not led by a John, a George or a Ronald. It is led by a Barack, one who has managed to inspire with words and move people with a compelling vision for his country.Color of skin aside, Obama has been compared to John F. Kennedy. The comparison has served the candidate well and he has made it a point to quote the well-loved Kennedy extensively in his speeches as well as match the polished prose.

Kennedy, in the early sixties, rocked the political establishment, redefined the office he eventually occupied (albeit briefly) and awakened an entire generation of Americans. The young Americans today who volunteer for the Obama campaign are the children of the generation JFK animated.

There is, to be sure, a lot of energy in the Obama campaign. But there is a lot of talent there as well, enough to enable this campaign to carefully calibrate its moves and sharpen its rhetoric. Enough talent to enable this campaign to overcome the entrenched party bureaucracy, outwit the rival campaigns and nurse a certain tone essential to keeping a movement animated.

Perhaps more than the Americans, there is a lot of discontent among Filipinos over the quality of governance they have been forced to accept and the quality of political leadership that has been available. There is discontent over how we do our politics and how power has been wielded.There is no shortage here of people who seek to win the highest elective post. But there is scarcity, obviously, of real leaders emerging from the margins and challenging the system. Leaders who can inspire and arrest the drift of public cynicism. Leaders who can make us hope again.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Sad as it may seem but it was a stark reality for Nelia Holgado –only 6 to 12 months to live with her end stage of mestatic breast cancer which haas spread to her lungs and liver.

Nelia, after being informed that chemotheraphy and surgery did not work to heal her ailment, decided to quit her fight against cancer and expressed her desire to go home. All she prayed for was for someone to give her a plane ticket and a companion to bring her home safely to the Philippines. But she got a lot more than what she asked for. Yvonne Horneffer of the Bicol Association inMetro DC anda Fil-Am Nurse practitioner of the National Institute of Health brought Nelia's plight to the attention of the community.

The Filipino-American Community in Metropolitan Washington D.C. heeded the urgent call and wholeheartedly sent in their donations. The Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC),spearheading the campaign, quickly organized fundraising events in cooperation with various Fil-Am organizations and Filipino church-based groups in the area. In a week's time prior to her scheduled Monday flight, the community raised almost US $ 6,500 dollars (includes airfare donation and some Philippine pesos) , which were handed to Nelia in those 3 fundraising events namely Filipino Mass at the St. Michael in Silver Spring, MD; the Despedida "Salu/Salo/ Dance" at North Star Party Room in Fort Washington, Maryland; and finally the Filipino Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington D.C. Various church-based groups did their own collections during their prayer meetings and mass while others sent in their donations in checks through Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) and turned them over to Nelia as well.Nelia's former employer years ago , Mrs. Ratner, generously paid for the plane ticket. Businessman Carl Abella and Nurse Jeanette Calahong, also officers of the Migrant Heritage Commission and other organizations, offered to accompany Nelia in the long haul flight to Manila.

Nelia Holgado is indeed a "Modern Day Heroine". As a Filipino migrant, she exemplifies the positive Filipino human values of: self-sacrifice, hard work ethic, utmost love for family, and patriotism to her native land, the Philippines. The Ilongga left the Philippines to work as a domestic helper in the United States for more than 10 years. In those ten years, she was undocumented (TNT), yet she was able to provide financial assistance to many of her kababayans in the Philippines through her hard earned dollar remittances. With pride and courage, she is not afraid to go back and die in her homeland for she knew that there are a lot of people that love her and can take care of her specially those whom she supported financially for their school expenses and education.

As a domestic helper in the U.S, she is proud to have helped two family members in their college education: one earning a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communications, and the other Bachelors' Degree in Nursing. Now she beamingly smiles every time she recalls how her hard earned dollars prior to receiving them from her employer as already earmarked for a particular family who may have lost a house due to typhoon or who simply needs financial assistance. She is also counting support in the Philippines from those people and families whom she had sent balikbayan boxes full of goodies from the United States.

The National of Institute of Health doctors whom she was given free treatment under their medical trial programs gave her few months to live as her breast cancer has reached the end stage and all treatments possible given. But she faced this impending death with courage and bravado for she has shown deep faith in God always saying:" Diyos lang ang makakapagsabi kung kailan ako mamatay."

Nelia Holgado during her last few days in the United States is very thankful to the MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION and all other individuals and organizations in the Washington DC area who helped her emotionally and financially . She was not ashamed to admit that she wanted to go home for the remaining days of her life and be with her family and that she has no money and no savings for she was unemployed during her cancer treatment. She prayed to God for help and she smiles when she intimated in mixed English/Tagalog at the St. Michael's eventthat: " I did not know that there is an organization like the MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION who provides services to people like me even if they do not know me and that there are individuals in our community who have shown the sincerity to help their fellow Filipinos in dire need." At the 26 January's despedida, Nelia said "I hope that you continue your good deeds. I may not be able to repay you but God in her own ways will surely bless and help all of you."

Atty. Arnedo S. Valera Co-Executive Director of the MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION thanked Nelia for the opportunity to serve her in the best way they can. "You are our inspiration and our model . For you have shown us the true meaning of respect for the dignity of every human being and the dignity of labor". Your life and the sacrifices you have made to give a better life to your family in the Philippines is the kind of heroism that symbolizes Filipino Diaspora all over the world , Valera said. "Through the MHC's Overseas Migrant Fund Program , we once more have shown that a concerned and united community can effectively respond to these types of dire situations affecting the Filipino migrants in the United States." Rendering services to the migrants, no more no less is a very challenging undertaking. Sincerity and full commitment will always be the guiding principles of the Migrant Heritage Commission. "TULUNGAN, DAMAYAN, KAPATIRAN" iyan ang pamantayan na dapat nating gabay sa pagtulong sa Migranteng Pilipino sa Amerika".

Ms. Grace Valera Jaramillo and Mr. Jesse A. Gatchalian, Co-Executive Directors of the Migrant Heritage Commission together with various community leaders presented Nelia a Certificate of Recognition attesting to her significant contribution to the Philippine Economy and to her family in the Philippines. MHC also announced the launching of MHC's 1-888-MHC-ll96 hotline for those who may need the services of the MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION through its various programs.

The MHC and various community organizations and individuals representing the Fil-Am community in this emotionally filled occasion handed their fund-raising collections to our teary eyed Kababayan.The 3 fundraising occasions (Filipjno mass, dinner/dance, salu-salo)with the Fil-am Community allowed Nelia to spend her last week in the U.S. with mixed feelings of elation and sadness. She can hardly believe the overwhelming outpour of love and care from her kababayans who did not know even her at all and yet were more than generous to give her that much needed financial aid and moral support.

To Nelia's surprise, her close friends in the El Shaddai Charismatic group of St. Stephen gave her a final salvo of praise songs and blessings in her apartment which she shares with 4 other Filipino migrants.A volunteer from MHC and Mabuhay Inc,, Mr. Manny Lopez, Jr., took photos of her final sojourn with her friends and the Fil-Am community for this final week in the U.S.All these beautiful memories she will bring home and treasure for the rest of her life.

Among the many organizations/businesses who responded warmly and energetically to the MHC organized fund-raising events for Nelia were the Fil-Am Ministry and Mother Butler's Guild of St. Michael in Silver Spring,Mabuhay Inc., Alpha-Phi OmegaPhils. District of Columbia Alumni Association (APODCAA),Filipino Community of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington D.C., Ilocandia Association, Boholanos of Greater Washington DC (BOGWAS), North Star Catering, Day-by-Day Christian Ministry, Mother Butler's Guild of St. Mary's in Rockville, El Shaddai Charismatic Group of St. Stephen in Washington D.C., BIMAK, Circulo Pampagueno, Ang Bulakenyos, Novo Ecijano Ass'n, Joy in the Spirit of the Lord Prayer Group in Baltimore, Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA), Metlife Securities, Philippine National Bank (PNB), Law Offices of Valera & Associates, Ang Bisaya Inc., Philippine-American Foundation for Charities, Inc. (PAFC), Ilocano Society of America (ISA), Alpha Travel, Professional HealthCare Resources, Philippine-American Community Partnership Foundation, Crystal Gardens Assisted Living, PMA, PNA, ABS-CBN News, Manila Mail and Pinoy Chronicle. DJ Jojo Baldonado also volunteered his services for free in one of the fundraising occasions.

Through arrangements made by Ms. Bing Branigin, the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Chairman, Senator Richard J. Gordon, is meeting Nelia Holgado upon her arrival at the NAIA, Tuesday night.PNRC pledged to take care of Nelia Holgado's medical needs in the Philippines.

A great smile on her face as Nelia Holgado meekly accepts from the Advisers of the Migrant Heritage Commission, former Philippine Embassy officialGrace Valera-Jaramillo and Businessman Carl Abella, the donationof the Fil-Am community of approximately US $ 2,400.00 raised during that night of Salu-Salo despedida at the North Star in Maryland on 26 January 2007. Within a week of campaign, a total amount of almost US $ 6,500.00.00 (including plane fare from her former employer ) was raised by the Filipino community prior to her departure.

It was an endless photo session with Nelia Holgado as various Fil-Am groups took turns in having a photo with her.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Senator Richard Gordon criticized the Commission on Elections(COMELEC) for system particularly in the implementation of automatedelections in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) polls.

"We are fighting a war on electoral fraud. To fight a war, we haveto act fast, and act decisively or else we will lose. Our people willlose. Automated elections should be working by now," said Gordon.

He said that time is running out for computerizing the ARMMelections and everybody is talking about the 2010 national elections,but the Comelec hasn't even started cleaning up the mess it has madeof the last elections. "How can we talk about who's going to bepresident when we cannot fix how they are elected in the position?,"Gordon asked.

"We want to end cheating in elections. If we do not modernize ourelectoral system now, will we wait until 2013? Until 2016? How longwill it take? If we don't fix this now, people will always questionthe elections," the senator explained.

Gordon emphasized that computerizing ARMM in August is vital inrebuilding the credibility in the nation's democratic system andempowering the people to choose their leaders.

"The Filipino people will be the big losers here. The Comelec is notworking and instead seems to be delaying the Automated ElectionsSystem for 10 years running. We need to drag Comelec kicking andscreaming out of its tarnished ivory tower to put the law to work," hesaid.

Gordon feared that 'we will never have a stable political system.There will always be winners in an election, but until we provide agood automated system, the winners will always be questioned."

Gordon is the chairman of the Senate Committee on ConstitutionalAmendments, Revision of Codes and Laws, as well as the principalauthor in the Senate of the Automated Elections bill. Under theapproved bill, full automation of the elections nationwide would beimplemented in the 2010 national and local elections.

Earlier the senator cited COMELEC's track record of incompetence,with the botched billion-peso voters ID project, the 1.3 billion pesoMegaPacific deal struck down by the Supreme Court – for which theCOMELEC is still incurring massive expense and has yet to follow theSupreme Court's instructions to get its money back, the Hello Garciscandal, and most recently, the involvement of then Chair Abalos inthe ZTE Broadband Deal. --30--

Monday, January 21, 2008

(Estrada's recent statement saying that it takes Php 5 Billion to win the Presidency should have galled millions of Filipinos because it indicates the kind of thinking that puts pesos and power before principles. What Estrada is saying is that Elections are bought (one way or the other) and that the ballot box is nothing more than a suggestion box in the eyes of the rich, influential, and powerful. Estrada is saying that your vote doesn't count and that YOU don't count. Estrada is saying that the only thing that matters is money... One question that lies at the heart of the 2010 Elections is whether or not we will vote for the likes of Villar (Php20 Billion) or Roxas (Php 5 Billion) on the basis of their ability to move billions of pesos? Both Villar and Roxas are said to be courting Estrada's favor and are angling to be endorsed as the opposition standard bearer -- whose opposition, however, has yet to be determined. In any case, there is only one candidate who is running on the basis of being the only real leader in the current crop of Presidential candidates and his track record speaks of a brand of leadership that moves people towards achieving great transformations... That's Richard Gordon.)

Gordon slams Erap intimidation

Senator Dick Gordon has slammed Erap Estrada's claim that presidential candidates for the 2010 elections must spend 5billion pesos to win and accused the disgraced former president of intimidation and stifling people's demand for honest government.

Says Gordon: "His message to the Filipino people is that only the rich can win, only the rich can be allowed to win. We are hearing this from a convicted plunderer. He is intimidating Filipino voters, intimidating candidates who aren't rich. He is telling Filipinos to measure a potential president by the size of his pockets alone. He wants Filipinos to elect people who will use their money to win, then use regulatory capture to make themselves even richer, to stifle growth, justice and equity in this country and keep it in the hands of the few. His politics are the politics of the wealthy, not politics of the people."

Gordon again emphasized: "What matters is a candidate's platform, their integrity, transparency, vision and commitment to the welfare of the people, not whether they are rich or not. Do they just dole out cash and keep the people as servants beggars, or does he empower them to make a future for their community, for their family, for themselves? To make that decision all you have to do is look at the candidate's track record: has he empowered people to take charge of their own lives? Has he uplifted and enobled the masses? Has he demonstrated that he has the ability to think out of the box, to find solutions and act on them."

He highlighted the recent downgrading of the Philippines as a free country by an international watchdog, in part because of the pardon given to Estrada. "That sent a message that the rich stick together regardless of the demands of justice. How can we honestly call ourselves a free country when a convicted plunderer, who's only track record is stealing from the Filipino people, gets pardoned for the sake of political convenience? Our people deserve better."

Concludes Gordon: "If we only choose to elect the rich and connected, our people will be condemned to find their fortunes outside out country, we will continue to bleed our brightest and our best to benefit other countries. If we want our nation to be the best, we must elect the bes

MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Richard Gordon vowed Thursday to make Malacañang’s choice to chair the Commission on Elections (Comelec) “pass through the eye of a needle” to get back at the Palace’s secrecy over the shortlist of nominees to head the poll body.

“[The nominee] will pass through the eye of a needle...Malacanang’s continued refusal to heed the public’s clamor for transparency in choosing the people who should pursue electoral reforms and modernized elections only creates more controversy,” Gordon, a member of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), said.

Malacañang has refused to reveal the shortlist of five nominees to replace resigned Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. that was submitted by a search committee to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Abalos resigned last year after being accused of allegedly brokering the since-then scrapped national broadband network contract with China’s ZTE Corp.

Aside from Abalos, two more vacancies are expected this year when commissioners Resureccion Borra, now acting chairman, and Florentino Tuason retire. This will bring the total number of vacant Comelec seats to four.

But Gordon said “there is no need to fear that the shortlist of nominees, once divulged, will be politicized. If the chosen nominee is deserves to lead, Malacañang should have nothing to worry.”

Gordon, chairman of the Senate committee on Constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws, also emphasized that the CA will reject the nomination of any Palace appointee found incompetent to head the Comelec.

He said the ability to implement the Automated Election Law (AES) for computerized voting and canvassing should be a key criterion in selecting a replacement for Abalos.

Earlier, Gordon, who has been batting for automated elections and other electoral reforms, called on the Arroyo to be transparent in filling up the vacancies in the Comelec and urged the Palace-created search committee to make its shortlist of nominees public.

Senator Richard Gordon said yesterday he saw no harm if the five nominees to the chairmanship of the Commission on Elections will be revealed in response to the call of various sectors for transparency in the selection process.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, said the administration is hurting from apprehensions that somebody outside the list may be appointed as Comelec head to replace Benjamin Abalos.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye confirmed that the list is now with President Arroyo. But he said it could not be publicly divulged without her clearance.

Comelec said the list of nominees should be kept under wraps to keep the process from being politicized.

But Gordon countered that Malacañang was fanning the controversy with its continued refusal to heed the public clamor for transparency in choosing the people who should pursue electoral reforms. “There is no need to fear that short list, once divulged, will be politicized if the chosen nominee deserves to lead. Malacañang should have nothing to worry.”

Despite the Palace’s no-disclosure policy, the search committee claimed that the following have made it to the list—retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, former Justice Secretary Artemio Tuquero, chief state prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, Legal Network for Truthful Elections convenor Carlos Medina and former Court of Appeals Justice Raul Victorino.

Gordon vowed that he would see to it that the person picked out by the President as next Comelec chairman should pass through the proverbial eye of the needle before the Commission on Appointments.

As member of the CA, he said he would scrutinize the credentials and qualifications of the incoming Comelec chairman so that all the information that was denied to the public by the Palace would come out.

Gordon emphasized that the CA will reject the nomination of any appointed Comelec chairman found to have fallen short of qualifications. He said the ability to implement the Automated Election Law should be a key criterion in assessing the competence of the appointee.

Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Harrah's Entertainment Inc., the world's biggest casino operator, is meeting officials from the Philippines for the second time next month to seriously look into the possibility of putting up a multi-billion dollar gaming project inside the Subic Bay Freeport and Special Economic Zone (SBFSEZ).

Senator Richard Gordon, who was a former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman, told reporters in an interview recently that the idea is to help the Freeport area become attractive to gambling tourists coming from the Asia-Pacific Region.

Gordon said the Philippines should take advantage of Harrah's future plan to expand in the region since it could no longer locate in Singapore or Macau where the issuance of casino licenses is limited to existing operators.

In Macau, there were three licenses issued plus another three sub-licenses, while the Singapore government has only allowed the presence of two operators, Gordon explained.

With world-class casino operators such as Hannah's doing operations in the Philippines, the whole of Subic including Clark could easily become a top tourist destination especially with the presence of three airports and two seaports.

According to Gordon, he has already talked to top executives of Harrah's to discuss the prospects of Subic as its most ideal site for expansion in the region. He said prospects were good but another follow-up meeting may be needed to finally lure the company.

He said he is scheduled to leave for Las Vegas next month to meet some of the company's executives.

SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, in the same interview, said inviting world-class casino operators to do business inside the Freeport area is in line with the government's plan to develop casino resorts either within the zone or outside Subic where the same fiscal incentives will also be offered to interested parties.

Harrah's operates eight luxury casino hotels in Las Vegas and manages 40 casinos in three countries. The company is led by Philip Satre and Gar Loveman.

In December 2006, Harrah's entered a $17 billion buyout offer from private equity firms Apollo management and Texas Pacific Group. It went public in 1971 and acquired Holiday Inn in 1980.

Other acquisitions include Rio Hotel and Casino, Inc. in 1999 for $888 million; Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (Bally's Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Paris) for $5.2 billion. Ceasar's was the casino spin-off of Hilton Hotels; It has bought the Horseshoe brand name when it purchased Horseshoe Gaming Holding Co. until 2005 when it sold the casino to MTR; bought the Imperial Palace in 2005 for $370 million.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

We live in a time of crisis and confusion. We seem to have lost our way as a people and as a nation in this prolonged season of economic challenges and political rancor.

Fear and helplessness have led many citizens to become inured to corruption and injustice. Despair has driven many to hard and lonely work abroad. Many Filipinos no longer feel that they have a voice and a stake in the nation and its future.

We cannot long survive—much less prosper—on this path to self-destruction. We cannot lurch from one scandal and one rebellion to another, and expect to achieve our destiny as a modern, just, and progressive nation.

We need change on all levels of society – not just of men, but in men. We need a far-reaching and all-embracing vision; we need a genuine cause for hope; we need proven and inspiring leadership.

And above all, we need to think, to feel, and to act once again as one nation with one destiny, building on both our brightest prospects for the future and on the noblest traditions of our history.

More than four centuries ago, the great chief Rajah Sulayman led his people out of their old embattled Maynilad to a new settlement they called “Bagumbayan”—a new town, a fresh beginning. For Jose Rizal, Bagumbayan was not only the place of his own heroic martyrdom, but the very home and spirit of his dream of a free and prosperous Philippines.And before him, Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora shed their blood on that same hallowed ground in the name of freedom and democracy.

We now invoke that spirit in our quest of an even newer Bagumbayan—the 21st century Philippines our heroes could only have dreamt of, but which our people have long deserved and which we can yet build.

Bagumbayan is no longer just a place. It is we, the Filipino people, and all that we dream of being and becoming as a nation. And if it is to be, then we must make it happen.

Today, fortified by an abiding faith in God and in the Filipino, we pledge ourselves and join together in this Covenant for a New Philippines—one founded on moral courage, not political expediency; on the rule of law, not of brute power and feudal privilege; on inclusiveness and social justice, not protection for a few; on enterprise and industry, not handouts and quick profit; on education and skills development, not mendicancy and fortune-seeking.

We commit ourselves to finding and supporting new Filipino leaders—men and women with the vision, integrity, and competence to lead us to another Bagumbayan, our new Rajah Sulaymans, Gomburzas, and Rizals. And like these heroes, we shall not fear to do what is right and to break new ground—to value ideas over money, principles over popularity.

All of us who share this dream must courageously face the challenges of our times. Thus, in this act of union and cooperation, we declare:

First, that we must be RESPONSIBLE for ourselves, for our fellow Filipinos, and for our country. We must change our attitudes, and transform ourselves to become horizon-chasers with duty, dignity, and determination;

Second, that we can REINVENT GOVERNMENT to faithfully perform its prime duty to serve and protect the people;

Third, that we can fortify LAW AND ORDER through self-discipline, vigilance, and respect for the rule of law;

Fourth, that we can build a STRONG AND GROWING ECONOMY if we all work, save, and invest in order to prosper;

Fifth, that we must prioritize EDUCATION as the key to national development to compete and lead in the new global economy;

Sixth, that we must provide adequate access to HEALTH CARE for all our people, especially the needy;

Seventh, that we must create JOBS for our people, so that they will not need to seek their fortunes abroad, but rather devote their talents directly to their country and their families;

Eighth, that we must assist our people in securing decent HOMES to live in and LAND to work and build on, so they can be dignified and productive citizens;

Ninth, that we must strengthen and reinforce the FAMILY as the foundation of our nation to develop proper values and virtues in individuals and build solid character; and

Tenth, that we must protect and preserve the ENVIRONMENT for our posterity.

We must have the Vision grounded on Values and empowered by Volunteerism to achieve Victory. These are the ideals upon which we lay the foundation of our movement for change. We are the instruments of a movement dedicated to transform the Philippines into a Bagumbayan, a new Philippines.

We invite every patriotic Filipino to join us in this shared struggle. Let us embark together on this grand mission to reclaim, rebuild, and reconsecrate what Rizal—111 years ago today—bid farewell to as “our Eden lost,” but which remains our birthright and our redemption: Bagumbayan.

Where our heroes have fallen, there shall we rise, reborn.

To these noble ends and principles, we hereby affix our names and signatures this 30th day of December, 2007.